36 Naval War of 1812 



ciplined, as hardy, and as well commanded as any in 

 the world, but who were only a few hundred strong, 

 backed by more or less incompetent militia. Only 

 Macdonough's skill and Sir George Prevost's inca 

 pacity saved us from a serious disaster ; the sea-fight 

 reflected high honor on our seamen, but the retreat 

 of the British land-forces was due to the commander 

 and not to their antagonists. Meanwhile a large 

 British fleet in the Chesapeake had not achieved 

 much glory by the destruction of local oyster-boats 

 and the burning of a few farmers' houses, so an 

 army was landed to strike a decisive blow. At Bla- 

 densburg 6 the five thousand British regulars, utterly 

 worn out by heat and fatigue, by their mere ap 

 pearance, frightened into a panic double their num 

 ber of American militia well posted. But the only 

 success attained was burning the public buildings of 

 Washington, and that result was of dubious value. 

 Baltimore was attacked next, and the attack repulsed, 

 after the forts and ships had shelled one another 

 with the slight results that usually attend that spec 

 tacular and harmless species of warfare. 



The close of the contest was marked by the ex 

 traordinary battle of New Orleans. It was a per 

 fectly useless shedding of blood, since peace had 

 already been declared. There is hardly another con 

 test of modern times where the defeated side suf 

 fered such frightful carnage, while the victors came 

 off almost scathless. It is quite in accordance with 



6 See the "Capture of Washington," by Edward D. Ingra- 

 ham (Philadelphia, 1849). 



